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California State University, Fresno
Division of Graduate Studies
CHANGE IN MASTER'S THESIS (299) COMMITTEE AND/OR TOPIC
Phone Number (
Candidate Name
)
ID#
Date
This represents a change in
topic
committee.
Thesis 299 new topic:
Thesis 299 Committee Notification and Acceptance of Revision:
Continuing/New Committee
Former Committee (for committee changes only)
Signature of Agreement Initial of
Chair
Chair
Member
Member
Member
Member
The justification for this committee substitution is as follows:
Approval Signatures:
Date
Graduate Program Coordinator
Date
Department Chair
Date
Thesis Consultant (for Dean, Division of Graduate Studies)
Final Thesis Clearance
Date
Thesis Consultant (DGS)
Attachment
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Thesis/Dissertation Committees
Thesis/dissertation committees have an established place in the academic world and play a vital role in the guidance and
direction of graduate student research. One member of the committee, the chairperson, has a more formal administrative
relationship with the student because of the way the university recognizes the chairperson's responsibilities. On occasion,
the roles of the chairperson and the committee members require clarification.
1.0 Thesis/Dissertation Committee Structure
1.1 Number of Members
1.11 Each master‘s thesis and doctoral dissertation committee shall be composed of a minimum of three
members.
1.12. Under extenuating circumstances (e.g., member‘s death or sudden leave), to be noted by the graduate
program coordinator in a letter to the graduate dean, an individual student in the final stages of the
thesis/dissertation may request to have fewer than three members on the committee.
1.13 A fourth and/or fifth member may be added to the committee when deemed appropriate/necessary to
provide required expertise.
1.2
Committee Membership
1.21 Two of the three required committee members, including the chair, shall be members of the Master's
Graduate Faculty Group of the student‘s degree program. Only members of this group are allowed
to chair a thesis. In order for a member to chair a thesis, he/she must have previously served as a
second or third member of a thesis committee (per APM 226-2, III. Criteria for Membership in a
Master's Graduate Faculty Group, par. 3).
The Graduate Group in the program, with the approval of the department, may invite their Faculty Early
Retirement Program (FERP) faculty members to participate on thesis/dissertation committees as
second or third readers, with the stipulation that they demonstrate a personal commitment to function
in this capacity and that they have been appointed as members of the consultative body. Graduate
faculty members whose status has been terminated due to retirement or who are in FERP status may
complete outstanding examining committee, thesis committee, and advising assignments as chair if
they wish to do so, but they may not accept new assignments to chair such committees (see APM
226-3, III. Criteria for Membership in a Master's Graduate Faculty Group, par. 8). Note: In order
for the thesis/dissertation committee to function as required, the program must appoint FERP faculty
 The terms Program coordinator and Program director are interchangeable in this document.
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serving on these committees as adjunct faculty during each of the academic terms in which they have
inactive status.
1.22 An individual who possesses requisite expertise, but who is not a member of the department faculty
in the student‘s program, may serve as a third reader on a thesis or dissertation committee with the
approval of the department chair. This may include part-time and adjunct faculty, retired program
faculty, faculty from other programs or universities, and community professionals. In such cases, a
curriculum vita of the individual concerned must accompany the submitted Master‘s Thesis (299)
Committee Assignment form.
1.23 Each graduate program committee may establish additional procedures for the appointment of thesis
committee members. It is recommended that these procedures be published and be made available to
incoming graduate students and new faculty members.
1.24 The committee chair shall be a faculty member of the graduate faculty from the student‘s program.
A faculty member from another department may assume the role of committee chair only if eligible
for and appropriately appointed as program graduate faculty (see APM 226) in the student‘s degree
program.
1.25 For the doctorate degree, the committee chair must be a member of the Doctoral Graduate Faculty
Group, and possess requisite knowledge and experience in discipline-based research theory and
methodologies at the doctoral level, knowledge of the requirements for doctoral dissertations in the
discipline, and a demonstrated ability to successfully direct others in research activities. The first
time an individual is being considered as a chair of a doctoral dissertation committee, supporting
documentation must accompany the recommendation through all levels of review (per APM 227-2,
III. Criteria for Membership in a Doctoral Graduate Faculty Group, par. 6c).
1.26 Each graduate program‘s graduate group should establish a reasonable maximum for the number of
theses an individual faculty member may supervise.
1.27 The department chair should ensure that work of the thesis or dissertation committee chair is
calculated as part of the faculty‘s required regular workload.
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